Saturday, August 16, 2014

During the Independence Day
Celebrations, two faces stood out in the crowd, in contrast, at the main
function at Netaji Stadium as well as ‘At Home’ function at Raj Niwas. The widow
and child of Late C Kalidas, the killed forester and K Khalid, a severely burnt
employee of Electricity Dept. Both the victims were awarded the LG’s
commendation certificate.

A look into the eyes of the
widow and child of C Kalidas would bring tears into your eyes. She stood there
staring into the blankness. The dry and pale look, aghast and lost amidst
celebrations, there was nothing for them to be happy or proud about. She had
lost her husband, who was in his prime. The child could never comprehend the
happenings around her.

K Khalid, who had sustained
severe burn injuries while working on power transmission line, had his hands
wrapped in a cloth and the marring accident has literally left his body, scarred
for life.

Isn’t it a quirk of fate
that both of them were in fact victims of someone’s negligence? Orders for
enquiry might have been issued in both cases, but there are many vital
questions that remain oblivious.

Had the young forester been
properly briefed about the cost, he will have to pay, while facing an elephant
that was beyond control? Had he known the fate, would he have taken the move to
confront the elephant so naively? Or, was he just following an order from
someone, for whom any result was inconsequential?

There had been enough uproar
over the death of the forester as well as the elephant. In fact, both the
forester and elephant were victims of some callous mind.

The killing of the elephant
invited so much flak in the media as well as social media that the loss of the
forester conveniently took a backseat. It was felt that this will be also
forgiven and forgotten as time passes.

Who killed the elephant?
Was it the rifle or the person pulling the trigger or someone with authority
who ordered to kill it?

Who killed Kalidas? Was it
the musth elephant or someone who hastily pushed the naïve forester into the
clutches of the elephant?

Like the elephant was
ruthlessly killed, Kalidas too became a victim of someone of same mindset, who
knew quite well that there won’t be any damaging repercussion.

An order for enquiry has
been issued. And, isn’t it quite intriguing that the PCCF (Wildlife) has been
entrusted the job? Doesn’t transparency demand that an independent enquiry be
ordered?

If someone justifies
killing of the elephant, justice demands that they should also take the
responsibility for the death of the forester.

K Khalid, a mazdoor of
Eectricity Dept sustained severe burn injuries when a reckless co-worker
charged the transformer, he was working on. He had to battle against all odds
to survive the physical and mental trauma.

What was the role of the
Junior Engineer or Asst Engineer? Aren’t they responsible or accountable for
the accident? Has the Department taken any action?

Undeniably, the Department
is an orphaned entity without any accountability towards service or its
employees. There are no protocols or safety measures followed. Cases of
fatality on duty in Electricity Department have become a routine fare.

There have been talks,
talks and more talks about actions to be taken. No one has heard about any tangible
outcome of enquiries ordered by the authorities. It’s time they walk the talk
and ensure that accidents due to recklessness or decisions taken devoid of
serious thought are not spared. And, we can’t keep learning lessons endlessly
without putting into practice what we have learnt. Fixing responsibility and
prompt action against the culprits will only serve as deterrent.

It’s heartening that this
year both the victims were awarded with the Commendation Certificate, along
with other genuine awardees. Or else, it had become a mockery with anyone
having an access to the cook or sentry of Raj Niwas to manage a commendation.

A touch of sympathy might
help heal the wound. But, nothing can bring back what they have lost. At
least, a responsive Administration should deliver justice and it needs to be
seen doing it.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Reminiscing the sacrifices of the Freedom Fighters
and Founding Fathers of the nation, the Lieutenant Governor A K Singh greeted
the Islanders on the occasion of 68th Independence Day and called upon the
Islanders to rededicate themselves in nation building and work in tandem to
overcome the challenges ahead. He expressed happiness over the journey of one
year and took a firm oath to continue the good work.

He dealt on various aspects and achievements in the
past one year and the developmental activities taken in all sectors.

On strides in communication sector, the Lieutenant
reiterated his commitment and said that on short term, steps have been taken to
enhance the bandwidth. He also said that the Administration is committed to
complete the undersea fibre-optic cable in the coming years.

Addressing the issues in education sector the LG
said that the Administration was keen to overcome the shortage of seats in
higher studies in the islands. A new college was the only solution as it had
been 24 years since the last educational institution for higher studies had
come up in the Islands.

"With the commendable increase in the overall
pass percentage in CBSE throughout the Islands, especially in the Nicobar District which
achieved 74.69%, the new college ANCOL, which started functioning from July
this year is a boon for the Islanders," he said.

"There were wide apprehensions about the 422
vacancies for teachers announced. Its quite heartening that out of the total
248 seats, 90% percent has gone to the local candidates," the LG
mentioned.

Moreover, another 150 new teaching posts has been
created. He also said that for AndamanCollege, approval of 41
new posts is on the anvil.

On poor connectivity in the Islands,
the Lt. Governor AK Singh said that 24th July 2014 will be a memorable day for
the Islanders as Administration commenced a new chartered flight service
between Car Nicobar and Port Blair connecting the farthest district with the
rest of the country. It will be of immense help for government servants,
defence personnel and Islanders. The fare is also kept nominal at Rs 1500 one
way. And it’s a matter of happiness that the flights are going full capacity.

“Moreover, we are on talks with Alliance Air to
start a similar service between Port Blair and Vizag, which has remained an old
demand” the LG said.

“We have also added an additional helicopter in the
existing fleet to enhance the services," he said.

For quicker response in disaster and medical
emergencies, there is a proposal to construct new helipads in inhabited Islands”, LG said.

On the new integrated terminal building coming up
at PortBlairAirport,
he said that it will have state of the art features.

He also expected a positive impact from the talks
the Administration held with the CEOs of national carriers to reduce the
airfare between Mainland-Island sector.

"There are initiatives to explore the
possibility to introduce international flights services from Port Blair, he
said.

“In health issues, the Islands
are on a better scale on health indicators in the country and especially in
government sector, we have one of the best health care system," he said.

He also rued the wide dearth of specialists and to
overcome the scarcity, he said that regular health camps are conducted and
doctors serve in outer Islands on rotation
basis.

To augment health services, LG lauded the efforts
and cooperation of doctors from Army Medical Corps.

“As the LG relief fund fails to meet the medical
expenses of poor Islanders, who proceed to mainland for specialized treatment,
it has been a challenge for us”, said the LG.

"A MedicalCollege in the Islands
was the only solution which we are pursuing vigorously. The college will
function from a temporary premises till the new buildings come up," Lt Gen
AK Singh said.

On providing employment to the local youth, the LG
said that a special recruitment camp for Defence services was conducted in
which about 84 local youths were recruited.

Expressing shock over the boat tragedy of 26
January 2014, in which many lives were
lost, he said that the Administration would not allow such accidents to happen
in future.

“We have learnt a lot of lessons from the unfortunate
incident and the safety and security of tourists is now our priority. Safety
audit of all tourists vessels were taken up and to implement the safety norms,
Tourist Safety Enforcement Team comprising police, tourism department and
health department has been formed, who will keep a tab on all tourism
activities in important tourism destinations," he informed.

"In adventure tourism activities, registration
of all operators has been made a must," he cleared.

The Lt Governor mentioned about the heightening of
Dhanikhari Dam by 5 mts which eventually increased the capacity by 70%, solving
the problem of water scarcity in Port Blair and surrounding areas in the next
20 years.

In order to ensure availability of water in 10
villages of Bambooflat area the Administration has also launched Kamsharat
Nallah Water supply scheme, likely to be completed by mid 2015, the Lt Governor
said, expressing confidence that the work Khudirampur Dam in Diglipur will also
commence in this financial year.

The Lt Governor reiterated on the target of the
Administration to supply treated water to all the areas with a population of
over 250 people, for which a new dedicated circle will be set up, he said.

The Lt Governor expressed his displeasure over the
poor performance of the State Sports Associations. The Sports Secretary has
been asked to review all aspects of sports and take necessary steps for
reconstitution and improvement in the sector.

The Lt Governor also mentioned that the
Administration will establish a multipurpose indoor stadium at Wimberlygunj
with volleyball, badminton, table tennis and gymnasium facilities. He also
expressed hope that the youth of the Islands
will regain their fame in the field of football.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

In a mysterious incident, a cargo dinghy reportedly
packed with more than 5 tonnes of cargo and two persons on board went missing
between Port Blair and Havelock.

According to Mr. Jawahar, Deputy Commissioner,
South Andaman, one person namely Ranjan Mondal was found at No. 19 Beach in Havelock today morning.

Despite continuous search by 3 PCR speed boats, 2
fast crafts and a Dornier of Coast Guard, there was no trace of the Dinghy or
the missing person, Karak Mondal.

Jawahar also informed that as soon as the
information was received, SOP was activated. Eventually, search operations were
started.

Its learnt that whatever information is available
is from the survivor, Ranjan Mondal, who is recuperating at PHC, Havelock.

Speaking to LOA, Vikas, SHO, PS Havelock said that
a missing report has been filed and a police team with Coast Guard searched the
whole area close to NeilIsland and Havelock
today without any result. He said that the search will continue. "We spoke
to the survivor, who is admitted in PHC Havelock, and according to him, the
Dinghy was carrying vegetables and other ration materials belonging to
different vendors," Vikas said.

Ranjan Mondal told a source that the Dinghy had hit
rock near Kalapathar area and drowned. Both the persons got hold of empty cans,
but only he could reach the shore.

The Dinghy is owned by Nirmal Biswas who had
shifted to plying the cargo dinghy after his vegetable business went into loss.

The vegetable market was today shut down due to the
accident. Only one vegetable shop was open, which was selling potatoes at the
rate of Rs 50 per kg.

Speaking to LOA, a resort owner said that death on
sea due to toppling of cargo dinghies are not very uncommon between Port Blair
and Havelock.
"As its raining, the cargo would have been tightly secured by ropes, and
the Dinghy would have hit the sea bottom when drowned," he said. "It
might come up in a couple of days as the potato sacks open up," he added.

Making a comment on the precarious situation, he said
that the cargo dinghies which were plying earlier have all shifted into lucrative
tourism business and most of the current crop of dinghy owners are unskilled
and incompetent, who don't know how to handle it.

"A
disaster between Havelock
and Port Blair is not something which could not be anticipated, as there are no
cargo ships plying in this route and the cargo is taken by unauthorized and
illegal Dinghies without any safety measures or documentation, " the
Resort owner added.

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About The Light of Andamans

The Light of Andamans’ was born out of the zeal and determination to fight against the suffocating Kafkaesque atmosphere on the society that existed even after 30 years of Independence under bureaucratic rule. It was a hangover of the ‘Raj’that extended much too long in the Islands.

The Light of Andamans’ was started in 1975. The paper had always been a crusader, taking up the causes that no other newspaper would touch. In doing so, it very often stepped on the toes of the authorities and had to face persecution in the form of denial of advertisements and numerous court cases against it. For a small stint, the publication came to a halt in 2003.

Gezira Publications Private Limited took over the paper in the year 2005 and transferred the title in a bid to revive the second oldest newsmagazine from extinction and also to carry forward the mission.

The Newsmagazine, under the new management, has undergone a sea change both in form and content. It turned into a full-fledged tabloid with 10 pages with plenty of photographs making both pleasing to the eyes and soothing for the mind. “It has acquired a position where it influences the policies in vital matters concerning the development of the islands, protection of aboriginal tribes and addressing the problems of the disadvantaged groups. The newsmagazine is known and appreciated for its bold, free, fair and balanced reporting.”

Late Govinda Raju and his team worked very hard to rebuild the reputation, goodwill and a healthy new image of the newsmagazine brick by brick. After the demise of Mr Raju in 2010, the magazine is now being edited by Zubair Ahmed and published by Basudev Dass. The newsmagazine continues its mission of highlighting policy issues pertaining to the Islands.